Ten More Pool Players Qualify for the IPT’s World Open Championship

Ten More Pool Players Qualify for the IPT’s World Open 8-Ball ChampionshipBilliards tournament will pay $3,000,000 in prize money to pool playersThe weekend of August 11-13 will see another ten billiard players qualify for the upcoming World Open 8-Ball Championship, being held at Grand Sierra Resort & Casino in Reno, NV, the week of September 2-10. This event will feature an unprecedented $3,000,000 in prize money, with the winner earning $500,000.
The only American at Number Nine’s qualification event, held in Roma, Italy, Steve Moore (pictured right) of Duluth, GA, swept the field. Moore had a respectable event at the IPT’s North American Open 8-Ball Championships, having qualified for that in Raleigh, NC, and obviously has it in his sights to qualify for the IPT. He bested David Pascasi of Italy 10-4 in the final match; Pescasi matched up wth Turkey’s Oezer Bulunmaz in the second final match, with Bulunmaz coming out ahead double-hill.England’s Chris Melling qualified for the World Open Championship at House of Billiards in Weert, The Netherlands, going undefeated through the bracket. Back in March, House of Billiards hosted a qualification event to actually join the IPT, which was won by David Alcaide and Daryl Peach. Melling’s opponent in the final match was Michael Schmidt, who was runner-up in the March qualification event, whom he defeated 10-8. After suffering from a first-round defeat, Toni Judet of Romania made it to the second final match against Schmidt, besting him by the same score of 10-8.Serbian Sandor Tot whizzed through the field at Billiard Paradise AG in Pratteln, Switzerland, to win the event there. Meeting Roman Hybler of the Czech Republic in the finals, Tot overcame him 10-8. Once in the second final match against Rico Diks from The Netherlands, Hybler redeemed himself with a 10-8 victory.The biggest qualification event of the weekend was held at Slate Bayside in Bayside, NY, with a field of 17—all U.S. players. The unlucky two players who had to play in the first round were Marco Marquez of Chicago and San Diego’s Jeff Beckley. Marquez advanced with a 10-6 win and wasn’t fazed by anyone, reaching the finals against Santos Sambajon Jr., where Marquez vanquished him 10-4. But in the second final match, Sambajon met fellow countryman Antonio Lining and bested him 10-8.In the Japanese qualification event, all ten participants were from Japan. Akikumo Toshikawa went unscathed through the winners’ bracket to the final match, where he met Takeshi Okumura and defeated him 10-8. In the second finals, Okumura met Masaaki Tanaka and squeaked by their hill-hill match to victory.Visit Inside POOL Magazine for the latest news in the sport of billiards and pool.

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